Why Do We Preach?

Summary: Preaching is focused on the power of Scripture to bring about Life Change.

Key Verse (1 Peter 1:23): For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

JAB

RIGHT HOOK

Why We Have Sermons...

To Stir FAITH in People

Romans 10:1 NLT

Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.

To Bring About LIFE Change

1 Peter 1:23–25 NLT

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

Throughout the Scriptures, anytime God’s men were instructed to preach, to teach, to proclaim, to instruct, or to admonish, they were instructed to do so with the goal of seeing the lives of their hearers changed.

The Tony Evans Bible Commentary III. A Call to Holy Living and Spiritual Growth (1:13–2:3)

God sparked life in you where once there was death, and he did it through the living and enduring word (1:23). As Isaiah said, the grass withers and dies, but the word of the Lord endures forever (1:24–25; see

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible B. Preparation for Action (1:10–2:3)

The Word of God gives new life (1:22–25). When we obey God’s truth, love will be born in us. God’s Word has a vital, life-giving power because of Who it is that speaks it.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: Christian Togetherness (1 Peter 1:22–2:10)

We trust the same Word, and that Word will never decay or disappear.a

There was once a young man named David who lived a life of rebellion. He had a troubled past filled with poor choices and disobedience. One day, during a church service, he felt a deep stirring in his heart as the pastor spoke of God's unconditional love. David realized that his life was empty without Christ. He surrendered his life to Jesus that day. His transformation was profound—he began to serve in ministry, helping others who found themselves lost just like he once was. David's story is a testament that through God, LIFE change is possible for anyone.

To Reach and TEACH Others

Hebrews 4:12 NLT

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

The Tony Evans Bible Commentary IV. The Promised Rest and the Great High Priest (4:1–5:10)

Have you ever had an experience with God’s Word that made you feel “exposed”? Have you ever heard it preached and felt like it was directed right at you? Have you ever felt your soul sliced open by the Word? Remember, we have no private lives. We don’t even get to have private thoughts. Everything is laid bare before the one to whom we must give an account (4:13).

I believe that we can take what we learn here on Sunday mornings and share that with our co-workers, neighbors, family and friends.

Imagine a gardener nurturing a seed. At first, it appears lifeless, yet with patience and care, it sprouts and eventually blooms. In preaching, we plant seeds of hope and truth in our listeners’ hearts. I recall a young woman who shared how a simple sermon years ago changed her life. She blossomed into a teacher, reaching countless others with her story. Our role is similar—fostering growth in others through our preaching and actions.

Hebrews for Everyone Danger! God’s Word at Work (Hebrews 4:11–13)

God’s word will find you out, will pierce through and disclose what’s really going on, the secret thoughts, plans and intentions that you make the real centre of your life

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Three: Greater than Moses (Hebrews 3:1–4:13)

God uses the Word to enable us to see the sin and unbelief in our own hearts. The Word exposes our hearts; and then, if we trust God, the Word enables our hearts to obey God and claim His promises. This is why each believer should be diligent to apply himself to hear and heed God’s Word. In the Word we see God, and we also see how God sees us. We see ourselves as we really are. This experience enables us to be honest with God, to trust His will, and to obey Him.

CONCLUSION

ILLUSTRATION: It was Easter Sunday, 1973. Uganda groaned under the terror of Idi Amin. Still fresh in young Pastor Kefa Sempangi’s memory was a face burned beyond recognition, the sight of soldiers cruelly beating a man, and the horrible sound of boots crushing bones—all for the crime of being a Christian. But Easter of 1973 Pastor Sempangi bravely and openly preached on the risen Lord in his town’s football stadium to over 7,000 people. After the service, five of Idi Amin’s Secret Police followed Sempangi back to his church and closed the door behind them. Five rifles pointed at Sempangi’s face. “We are going to kill you for disobeying Amin’s orders,” said the captian. “If you have something to say, say it before you die.” Sempangi, thinking of his beautiful wife and lovely little girl, began to shake. But the risen Lord living in his heart gave him the courage to speak. “Do what you must,” he said. “The Word of God says that in Christ I am already dead, and that my real life is hidden with Him in God. It is not my life that is in danger, but yours. I am alive in the risen Lord but you are still dead in your sins. May He spare you from eternal destruction.”

The leader looked at Sempangi for a long time. Then he lowered his gun and said, “Will you pray for us?” Sempangi did, and those five officers, were converted through the witness of Sempangi’s bravery. They also became his protectors rather than his aggressors.